Ontario plans to allow the private sector to handle distributing cannabis from producers to retailers, a sign that the provincial government is beginning to reduce its legal pot exposure.

According to an email sent by an Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) executive to Canadian licensed producers late Tuesday that was obtained by BNN Bloomberg, the new measure to allow for a “third-party centralized distribution” system comes following feedback the government-run agency solicited last month after it engaged with the industry to determine whether it should get out of its wholesale cannabis business. It is unclear when the OCS plans to let a privately-run company handle product distribution.

Sarnia police say the small, southern Ontario city has reached a record high for impaired driving rates this year and are pointing to legalized cannabis and incoming edibles products as the problem.

Officers laid 41 impaired driving charges from January 2019 to August 2019 — a 41 percent increase from the same period last year, which saw 28 charges.

“I’m not sure what the cause of it is, but given the time of the rise, I can only assume the legalization of cannabis has something to do with it,” Cst. Shawn Urban told BlackburnNews.com.

“We’ve seen extremely high readings and vehicle accidents … with people impaired by drugs, we see people passed out behind the wheel. It’s very obvious to our officers that there are signs of impairment there,” he said.

There has been a significant buzz with regards to cannabis being employed as an opiate reduction or replacement strategy for individuals with opioid use disorder.

But a new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal has indicated what many opioid users have already expressed — that it’s not effective.

A research team at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, studied the effects of cannabis consumption on illicit opioid use during methadone maintenance therapy, which, like buprenorphine, is a commonly used treatment for opioid use disorder.

A 30-acre lot in Ridgeway, Ont. is set to become a brand-new cannabis farm, but not if locals can help it.

The property was sold earlier this year for about $600,000 after a few months on the market, with the intention of turning it into a production and cultivation facility for Greenherb Farms.

But as the land is prepared for farming — tall fencing installed and trees and brush cleared — outraged neighbours have formed a group. The group is circulating a petition to prevent the farm from taking root, citing concerns about odour, environmental destruction, traffic and historical value.

Mistakes were made.

Canadian provinces went their own way when establishing a legal framework for cannabis and some have found considerably more success than others.

The Cannalysts, an independent analysis firm, released data this week showing that if Ontario had followed Alberta’s model, the province would have stimulated an extra $325 million in economic activity. On a yearly basis, the analysis notes, the province is missing out on around $488 million more, in addition to $75 million in taxes.

It turns out fewer people enjoyed consuming cannabis through a softgel pill or oil than Canopy Growth Corp. had first hoped.

That lack of consumer interest in those cannabis products led Canopy Growth, the world's largest cannabis company, to report $47.9 million in charges, including a $15.9 million inventory write-down, while booking a steeper-than-expected loss in its fiscal second-quarter.

The Smiths Falls, Ont.-based pot producer reported a $374.6 million net loss in the quarter, mainly attributed to a restructuring of its portfolio of cannabis softgels and oils after recording “returns, return provisions, and pricing allowances” during the period.

Cannabis company Cronos Group Inc. reported a profit in its third quarter, boosted by an $835-million gain in derivative liabilities, as revenue grew to $12.7 million.

The company says its net profit amounted to $788 million or 53 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30. That compared with a loss of $7.3 million or four cents per share in the same quarter last year.

Cronos says its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amoritization amounted to a loss of $23.9 million in its most recent quarter compared with a loss of $3.2 million a year ago.

Revenue was up from $3.8 million in the same quarter last year and up from $10.2 million in the second quarter of 2019.